A Factory for Death

What was the worst thing about Auschwitz?

By the time the Soviet Army reached Auschwitz on Jan. 27, 1945 -- 60 years ago this week -- my father was no longer there. Ten days earlier, the Nazis had evacuated about 67,000 of the death camp's inmates, dispatching them on brutal forced marches to the west. My father, then 19, was in a group sent into Austria. He ended up at the concentration camp in Ebensee, near Mauthausen. Liberation there didn't come until May 9, with the arrival of US soldiers from the 80th Infantry Division.

My father had entered Auschwitz the previous spring, together with his parents, his two brothers, and two of his three sisters. They, too, were gone by the time the camp was liberated. Unlike my father, they didn't leave on foot. They "left" through the chimney. For the overwhelming majority of the more than 1.1 million Jews who were sent to Auschwitz, there was no other exit.

Auschwitz was the site of the greatest mass murder in recorded history.

Jews were not the only victims. Nearly 75,000 Poles, more than 20,000 Gypsies, 15,000 Soviets, and 10,000 members of other nationalities were murdered at Auschwitz as well. The Nazis first used the camp, in fact, as a prison for Polish dissidents, and Birkenau, the huge 1941 addition that became the main Auschwitz killing center, was originally designed to hold Soviet POWs.

But beginning in the spring of 1942, Auschwitz became first and foremost a slaughterhouse for Jews. From every corner of Europe, Jews were sent there - from France in the west to Ukraine in the east, from as far north as Norway and as far south as Greece. Many, like my father and two of his siblings, were forced into slave labor, in the expectation that the ghastly conditions and starvation rations would kill them soon enough. But most of the Jews entering Auschwitz - like my father's parents and his youngest brother and sister - were murdered as soon as they arrived.

Auschwitz was a vast factory of death, the site of the greatest mass murder in recorded history. Even now, two generations later, it is almost impossible to grasp the scale on which the Nazis committed homicide there. It is suggested by a detail: From 1942 to 1944, the train platform in Birkenau was the busiest railway station in Europe. It held that distinction despite the fact that, unlike every other train station in the world, it saw only arrivals. No passengers ever left.

But Auschwitz was not only a place of murder. It was also a place of theft.

Jews were robbed of everything they owned - the luggage they came with, the clothes on their backs, the hair on their heads, even the gold in their teeth. The stolen goods were stored in 35 warehouses, where they were sorted and packed for shipment to Germany. Before fleeing in January 1945, the Nazis burned 29 of the warehouses, but in just the six that remained, the Soviets found 348,820 men's suits, 836,255 dresses, and 43,525 pairs of shoes. There were seven trainloads of bedding, waiting to be shipped. And 7.7 tons of human hair. And that was merely what remained at the very end.

The very worst thing about Auschwitz was -- what? The staggering death toll? The gas chambers disguised as showers, in which thousands of naked Jews went daily to agonizing deaths? The endless cruelty and torture? The diseases that ravaged those the Nazis didn't kill first?

Was it the inhuman medical experiments carried out by doctors like Josef Mengele, such as the deliberate destruction of healthy organs, or the sadistic abuse of twins and dwarfs? Was it the willing exploitation of Jewish slave labor by German corporations? The tens of thousands of murdered children and babies?

No. The very worst thing about Auschwitz is that, for all its evil immensity, it was only a fraction of the total. Even if it had never been built, the Holocaust would still have been a crime without parallel in human history. It would still have been something so monstrous that a new word - genocide - would have had to be coined to encompass it. Never before and never since has a government made the murder of an entire people its central aim. And never before or since has a government turned human slaughter into an international industry, complete with facilities for transportation, selection, murder, incineration. And none of it as a means to an end, but as an end in itself: The reason for wiping out the Jews was so that the Jews would be wiped out.

In the end, 6 million of them were killed. But only one-sixth died at Auschwitz.

Visitor Comments: 55

(55)
Edward,
January 3, 2013 10:33 PM

I was a great mystery of what happened to my family in Poland. It is known that many of them were shipped off to camps. When asked what happened, all they would say is it happened a long time ago and why bother. On persistent asking I was told be careful because you won’t like what you see. I myself did a lot of research on Auschwitz. It is a odd thing of all the camps this is the one I wanted to know the most about. I can’t go there because I know too much as in I could point out over there this happened.

(54)
Iris Moskovitz,
August 11, 2009 5:53 PM

I could not take my eyes off of the page. Exceptional work!

I am the daughter in law of two holocaust survivors. My father in law O"BM, wasn't able to discuss in great detail with me the atrocities his eyes had witnessed. I am in complete awe of how many Holocaust survivors there are in Cleveland, that have such emunah, after livng through a complete hell. Seeing them coming to shul and pouring their hearts out in complete kavana is nothing more than inspiring. I am zoche to know the author's father first hand- a tzaddik to say the least. He has raised a beautiful, shomer shabbos family. May he and his lovely wife be zoche to arichas yomim, and shep much yiddishe nachas from their children, grandchildren and I"YH great grandchildren. Excellent article. The Nazis, yimachshmo, could never get rid of the Jewish people. The survivors have proven that, Boruch Hashem.

(53)
ausitn Gene,
April 16, 2009 2:24 PM

i think that this page was the best page ive ever read on the internet of Auschwitz. i heard it killed up to 20,000 Jews a day but i found out different. good job and keep the good work up peeps

(52)
Robyn Nowlan,
August 20, 2008 11:29 PM

wow

I posted a reply to this article in 2006 and I see that this article in the 2008 is still earning comments and veiwing amazing what a true peice of history can garner !

(51)
Angie,
January 9, 2008 5:40 AM

this web site is great it has exactly what im looking for...

(50)
Ali U,
December 7, 2007 11:34 PM

I don't think there's anything I can say that hasn't been said here already. I can't grasp the death toll. I can't imagine that many people being murdered, and though I've read and read and read (and continue to read) about the holocaust, I can't grasp...anything, really. I can try, but I cant imagine what it would be like to hide from the Nazis in the ghettos, or what it would be like to be deported to Auschwitz or one of its other counterparts, or what it would be like to live there and to be separated from loved ones...I try, but I can't get my head around it. Even so, I do try. And reading your article, along with reading The Cage by Ruth Minsky-Sender, really makes my heart ache for everyone who lost or was lost in the holocaust...

(49)
Brittany,
April 10, 2007 6:39 PM

Diary of Anne Frank

I like your articals about the holocaust. We are reading "The Diary of Anne Frank" and I was looking for more info to fill in the blanks when i came across your articales. I think it was cruel to do that stuff. Thanks for your magnificent articals that help me learn alot more about the holocuast.

(48)
Alan E Longworth,
January 21, 2007 10:36 AM

Oh how i remember

I am not Jewish but have come to know several Jewish people here within the freedom of Canada. I was born in Britain in 1936. In 1945 my mother took me to the cinema. On the pathe news i saw the British army's relief of Belsen. The appalling images on the screen have stayed with me these many years. They are as vivid today as they were then. I was brought up exposed to three different religions. All of whom have a history of violence and intolerance consequenty i have become an agnostic. I enjoy reading the articles on Aish.com Thank You.

(47)
KarenJohnson,
December 10, 2006 7:20 PM

Our experience with a survivor

My name is Karen and I have a 10 year old daughter whose name is Faith. I recently had the opportunity to speak to a woman, who is a Holocaust survivor. This woman volunteers in a nursing home in Queens for many years. I never knew that she was a survivor, she doesn't like to talk about it much. This year my daughter took an interest in learning about the Holocaust. Me, being born and raised in an Italian-Catholic family knew about it, but not to an extent. It was at this time that I learned that my co worker (70+ years old) was in fact a survivor. I asked her if she would mind being interviewed by my daughter and she agreed. I went to her home with my daughter and a list of well thought out, detailed questions and never expected what I would experience. The horrors that she told us, from the gathering of families, to her young friend's death while trying to escape over the electric fencing. I asked her if she thought that something like this could ever happen again and I heard an answer that surprized me. She said, "Yes". That scared me. My heart bleeds for the horrors of years ago and do pray that the world can somehow become a more loving place to be. God Bless you all Karen Johnson

(46)
Anonymous,
October 3, 2006 8:51 PM

Very good.

I thought it was very informative. My grandfather was sent to Auschwitz as well.

(45)
Mike Pajewski,
August 19, 2006 12:00 AM

Never Again

This won't ever happen again, not on this scale. But slowly, with each passing day, evil forces are aligning against the good. People may not be systematically killed by the tens of thousands each day, but a few here and there along with the subtle changes in the world where the good people must fight according to Geneva conventions and the bad people dont have to is leading us toward a slow e xtinction of our values. Those Hezbollah cowards dressed in IDF uniforms! They cannot face to face fight. Stand firm O Israel. You have much support in the United States. Together we will not allow those evil people to spread their message of hatred.

(44)
Charlotte Illing,
June 18, 2006 12:00 AM

lest we forget

i really hope this NEVER happens again. i cannot believe people actually could stand there and watch other human beings be exploited in this way. it is totally shocking. some of the pictures i have seen at school are awful - but the worst part is i know it is not the worst. its hugely inhuman.

(43)
Robyn Nowlan,
May 7, 2006 12:00 AM

I don't have a one line summary sorry I can't sumarize what i feel in one line

I have just finished reading a book called Night it is about the holocost and what happened to the man who wrote it and his family. I am not Jewish I honestly don't know that much about the Jewish religion but I cannot imagine how 1 person let alone thousands of people could be so cruel and inhuman to millions and millions of people. I was horrified when I read this bood. I had ordered it from doubleday book club thinking it was a work of fiction and about something else entirely The book arrived and i realized the subject Germany and Austwitz sorry I can't spell. I started to read it and I read the whole book in a day and a half I just felt for this poor man and what he saw and remembers.

(42)
allen mowers,
January 16, 2006 12:00 AM

Always tell the story.......Never never forget.

Thank you for the opportunity to offer this opinion. This is a vital publication, and my hope is that you will ALWAYS feature the Holocaust coverage. It is so vital, in a world where we "forget" that which is past, only to repeat it again. If we (you) cease telling the story, it is soon forgotten by successive generations. God commanded ..."to tell your children, and your children's children.

(41)
Tony Berlein,
January 5, 2006 12:00 AM

Holocaust

I wonder if the Nazi's who committed these brutal atrocities actually became mad from the sight of what they did. Perhaps they were already mad. It is inexplicable that human nature allowed the mass factory processing of humans by humans. Words fail me.

(40)
lea,
December 22, 2005 12:00 AM

My grandfather was put in a death camp in ww1 and he saw all of the horrible things happen. He saw people getting beaten and other being hawled off to death camps

(39)
Linda Kay Schwab,
November 24, 2005 12:00 AM

excellent factual account

Mr. Jacoby has written a compelling account ,in a nut shell ,of the living hell that Auschwitz was .May all of those who lost their life there never be forgotten by any generation.-LKS

(38)
sarah page,
October 9, 2005 12:00 AM

Auschwitz

I am thinking of visiting Auschwizt during the early part of next year.
I find the website very educational and at the same time I feel very sad for all of the poor souls that suffered and that were murdered. My heart goes out to the survivors and their families. We must never forget what happened.

(37)
Gloria Rigsby,
August 24, 2005 12:00 AM

Heart Wrenching

As the generations that lived this horror pass on, these stories must be told over and over again, least we forget. The cruelty is unimaginable.

(36)
justin killen,
July 17, 2005 12:00 AM

interesting info

i think this is a good site

(35)
C Thomson,
June 30, 2005 12:00 AM

Auschwitz

I recently visited this dark and dismal place. It was my personal homage to the many millions that were murdered by the Nazi's during occupation. We must never forget what ahs happened, indeed we must never allow any of the future generations to forget. I was saddened to read UK newspaper articles and photo's of our own Royal Family members dressed in nazi fancy dress at a party recently. He should be made to publically apologise and be made to visit death camps to further his narrow minded and protected eduction of European history.
My Heart aches for this inhumanity.

(34)
Hemant,
June 24, 2005 12:00 AM

...........NEVER AGAIN...NEVER.....

...I had been reading about the Holocaust since very childhood and as I grew and gathered more facts....my existence ...the very foundations are shaken!! Is human being capable of doing this?? In India we are taught that God is kind and resides in everything that liveth....we believe that it is a great privilege granted by God to be borne as a human being!!!
I have no words....to date I have not been able to come to terms with the fact that it has actually happened....

(33)
Samantha Keating,
June 13, 2005 12:00 AM

Auschwitz

The worst thing about Auschwitz is that it was a labor/concentration camp that killed thousands or even millions of people.So many loved ones were lost and many were not found.Riva Minska now know as Ruth Sender lost her brother Motele and Moishele in Auschwitz.She lost her brother luckly while they were in the ghetto(instead of Auschwitz) to tuberculosis.Her mom was also deported to the unknow while they were in the ghetto.If you want to learn more about this family and thier jorney for sivival read "The Cage" By Ruth Sender who is a surviver of the genocide that the Nazi party tried to commite.
7th grade,14
Academy Middle School

(32)
Anonymous,
June 2, 2005 12:00 AM

sad moments

that was a moving piece of work

(31)
Linz,
May 31, 2005 12:00 AM

Visit to Auschwitz

I visited Auschwitz last year. I experienced something that is so unbelievable that until you go there you can not begin to understand the shere size of the place. And Auschwitz was only one of the seven or so camps set out to destroy the Jews. Before I went I understood the history and thought I knew what I would be expecting. This is not the case. You cannot begin comprehend what happened to the 6 million people killed there and the torture that they indured. My visit affected everyone that I was with and the day still remains to be unbelieveable that somebody could plan it. I would never visit again but I'm glad I went and would advise everyone to go to understand that such horrific acts are still present in todays world and should be stopped.

(30)
Anonymous,
May 29, 2005 12:00 AM

May we forget the others?

I agree with all of you about the Holocaust it was a very horrible thing that happened. We are studing it in my Honors class. I am a German and I have to say that it sickens me to hear anything about the Holocaust because I don't think that it should have every happened. I just don't think it is right that we forget about everything else that is happening everywhere else in the world. I mean we aren't saying anything about what is happening in China to the people because of their religion. They are going through almost the same thing. The police take them away from their homes in the middle of the night and take them to so called "Detention centers" where they are brutally abused. They torture children because of their parents religion and they kill them and then cover it up. Are we going to say anything to them or their dead family memebers I think not. I think that we should stand up for everyone that is being put under any pressure that doesn't need to be there. From what I have researched all we need in this world is peace. Can we ever achieve this I don't know. But I know one thing it only takes one person to forgive and that is what we should do. Go home and forgive and continue to live and make sure that you don't hurt anyone. If all of us would do this then we wouldn't have half of these problems that we do in our world.
Stephanie M.
General H.H. Arnold High School
Age:16

(29)
Jacob Pickens,
May 18, 2005 12:00 AM

i'm so sorry

either last week or the week before, i forget was rememberance for the holocaust. So naturally were learning about it in school they make examples for us like being in a roll call at a death camp we have to say yes mrs,____ ma'am or yes mr___ sir. Anyway way we watched a movie about a guy who is a neo nazi and is taken back in time to be taught a lesson, when i got home i imdiedatly google searched "neo nazi" What i found took me completely aback i read an article that the neo nazis tried to bomb a synogaug but was luckily stoped by the police. after i finished searchin neo nazi i looked for stories that jewish people might have about the holocaust (so i could share them at school, we get extra points for sharing info) i felt a feeling iv'e only felt when my grandmother died it's a sense of heavyness in my chest i wish that the holocause never happend. The excuses the nazis made " oh you christ killers" and what not christ himself was a jew besides it was meant to be jesus wanted to die for out sins. sorry i don't think thats what jewish faith follows but you get my point. It amazes me that jewish people don't hate or resent nazis or germans you have to be very humble, you have my respect. My appoligies go out to people whose relatives died in the holocaust my deepest appologies god bless.

Jacob Pickens
grade 7 skyway middle school
Presque isle maine

(28)
marie vera,
May 15, 2005 12:00 AM

the holocaust caused great mourning and despair ,it's crucial punishment affected the world,with it's harsh despective deaths , in result leaving the world with tragedy and knowledge,let us not forget it.

as well as Sarah Bacon I also read "Night by Elie Weisel" i have become more interested in holocaust.I have learned that no one should have ever gone thourgh so much pain , whether they seem to have deserved it or not it is a miraculous observasion which i myself has ceased to discover but need i not say all 6 million lives will never be forgotten nor the survivors.

(27)
Sarah Bacon,
April 24, 2005 12:00 AM

Auschwitz will not be forgotten!

After reading "Night by Elie Wiesel"(a surviver) it got me interested in the holocaust and everything around it.while looking through artical's i found your's i can't believe what was done and the way that it was done...Elie wrote about how they used babie's for taget pratice and there was a rotten smell of burning flesh i couldn't imagin going through that...and i take my hat off to all of the surviver's and people who where brave enough to go through what they did, some may have been silenced but the new generation is learning and they will pass that down "This will not be forgotten"

(26)
leonid serebreni,
April 17, 2005 12:00 AM

we need to keep the memories of the survivors alive after their death

many people have survived the holocauset, but unfortunatly they werent alot of them who now could tell to the world what the nazis did to them, and to their families. For that we need to listen to their stories and to tell this stories of breivory to others and to keep this horrible memory written in stone on the face of the world as the murder not just of a people, but as the end of humanity.

(25)
brittany,
April 10, 2005 12:00 AM

why?

when i read this article i just freaked out. i couldnt understand why poeple could do such a thing and i am grateful i was not alive to realize it.in school i am learning so many things about the holocaust and what i ahve seen on movies and read in articles and books make me wanna gag and i cant belive that it actually happened. thanks to your articel now many people know more about the holocaust and who helped it to end.

(24)
Caitlain Pope,
April 7, 2005 12:00 AM

I can not beleive the horrors of the natiz

After reading your article I am ashamed of being german. I have always thought that the Holocaust was a very horrible thing. I thank you for this article. i found this article while searching for informatoin while doing a school project.I can not believe that people could be so heartless i myself am a very compassionate pearson. Thank You.

(23)
Kristine Lopez,
March 23, 2005 12:00 AM

thanks to people like you, you can show other people how hourible life was. than you this sight has showed me a lot and made me apreshiate how preshious life is.

(22)
Danielle,
March 20, 2005 12:00 AM

This is not only a very sad topic and event that happend in history, it is also a very devistating thing to even think about. I cannot believe that such people had such hate toward people they didnt even know....Only the fact that they were jewish. That was the only thing they knew about these people. There was not only innocent lifes taken there was also lifes taken that should of NEVER of been in that situation EVER!!! I am only in 11th grade but I know from my history teacher that this was the most devistating and brutual thing to ever happen in history. I feel so sorry for all the innocent lifes that were taken. I watched Schindler's list and it gave me a way better perspective on what went on and how these innocent lifes were taken. This story was very good it helped me to also better understand from a defferent point of view!!! Thank-you for your time.

(21)
michelle,
March 6, 2005 12:00 AM

I will never be the same.

I am so ashamed of myself, and the ignorant people around me that take every breath for granted. I am deeply humbled, outraged, very, very saddened...I mean, words cannot express the emotions i have felt by the continous research I have recently begun on the unfathomable horrific events of The Holocaust. I do not think the most sick of film makers could have plotted these disgusting crimes against humanity for a horror movie, because it woul have been too unbelivable. Although it unfortunatly happend because of a demented sick mind in the body of a powerfull man, if I could even describe it as a man.

(20)
Rosetta,
February 27, 2005 12:00 AM

I really really appreciate this article, however, I feel I have to point out that the Armenian genocide had already occurred, and that one was in fact the first genocide.

(19)
Merlock,
February 20, 2005 12:00 AM

Whoa.

Wow.

(18)
Fran Huffman,
February 2, 2005 12:00 AM

THANK YOU JEFF

Thank you Jeff for telling your story, and the story of millions. It saddens me daily that these things continue to happen even to this day, the methods and numbers vary but people are murdered without excuse except in the twisted minds of their killers. I don't know at what point people will be able to get the facts into their heads and deal with them. So many people just react to these things as if it is only a movie, they view, turn it off, walk away, they forget and do nothing. My love and prayers to the people of the planet who have suffered so much in so many ways. Thank you again Jeff for reminding us that it is not a movie and we have to do something as individuals to prevent these things. ONE person "can" change the lives of millions...Hitler did.

(17)
Anonymous,
February 1, 2005 12:00 AM

In focus

Thank you for article Jeff. You have conveyed a message on this subject with succinctness without compromising its gravity.

You have communicated less commonly remembered statistics that further underscores the scope of this tradegy.

Your individual connection also brings back the personal, individual human element too often lost due to the vastness of this outrage. If viewed on a person by person, individual experience basis; to see the direct impact on individual families and individual persons--well, it borders the unbelievable...it is almost too much for the human mind to endure.

However, your article demands that we do just that, lest we forget and history repeats itself.

Thank you for this reminder.

(16)
Beverly Kurtin,
February 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Fourty-seven

From time-to-time, I have been accused of being "the man." When I ask my accusers what they mean, they say that I know what it means. I then ask them how many of their blood relatives were enslaved during their own lifetimes. The answer, invariably, is "none."

"Now ask me the same question," I challenge.

"Fourty-seven of my blood relatives were slaves and then were murdered DURING MY LIFETIME." I then give them a chance to retract their racist comment to me ("The Man" is as racist remark as is the use of the "N" word.)

To their credit, they always back off.

My family saw what was happening and I had the good fortune of having grandparents who got out of Europe before it was too late. Thanks to them I am here and alive.

(15)
Anonymous,
January 31, 2005 12:00 AM

Auschwitz Camp

Today I got two e-mails regarding Auschwitz, one was this article, the other a list of family members as part of my reasech on geneaology, listing their places of death, Auschwitz, Troebitz, Saxony-Germany, Sobibor - what does this mean to me and how can I learn from this ?

I am not Jewish, I have a Jewish Ancestry I have always known about. Four years ago I became interested in Judaism - and am currently embarking on Conversion.

What did the Holocaust mean to me when I learned about it at school - well it was a Horror, distant and not mine, one I avoided dealing with, much in the same way I avoided other human atrocities and chose to focus on nice happy thoughts instead.

My interest in Judaism also led to my interest in my own Jewish Geneaology.

News for the first time that I have blood relatives who perished at the camps.

The immature little girl in me who prefers to see the world through rosy coloured lenses has to reconcile with the responsible me, the one who despite the horror and ugliness has to approach this in a responsible manner.

(14)
justin roocroft,
January 31, 2005 12:00 AM

God bless their souls

(13)
Leah Ominsky,
January 31, 2005 12:00 AM

I understand and agree with your premise, and I thank you for your insight. There is; however, one very important point to remember - by contextualizing the Holocaust - through the Auschwitz example, we are able to understand the enormity of Holocaust a bit better. For instance, by delving into Survivor experiences we will find many similarities but also many differences. (For example, arm tatooing was strictly performed on Auschwitz inmates.)While the enormity of 1.5 million who died at Auschwitz is incomprehensible in and of itself, it provides us with a bit more detail into the attrocities of the Holocaust. I believe that is why last weeks commemorations marking the 60th anniversary of liberation was so important for all of us to remember. Thank you.

(12)
Anonymous,
January 31, 2005 12:00 AM

I think that is crazy

I don`t think anyone should of been treated that way.My class is studing the Holocaust.It`s very painful to see the picture's.

(11)
David Sament,
January 30, 2005 12:00 AM

Thank you

Thank you for pointing out that the Jews were not the only victimes of the holocaust. This is known by all of us but it needd to be repeated.

(10)
lou,
January 30, 2005 12:00 AM

It has all been said and written.

Use the past as a continual reminder...

(9)
Rachel Lassiter,
January 30, 2005 12:00 AM

Never forget

My grandmother always believed, with deep concern, it will happen again. There will always be men like Hitler, she would say, and in the same breath, tie your shoes. That is stamped into my brain. Even now with our own state, Israel what do we contend with, bombs and destruction. Yes we are chosen and because of it we are hated. We have a responsibility not to let the world forget the madness that ruled Germany and how easily the Germans looked the other way.

(8)
Menashe Kaltmann,
January 30, 2005 12:00 AM

Factory of Death

We live in Melbourne Australia home to many Holocaust survivors and their families. (My Dad (ad120!0 is also a survivor).
One of my Dad's friends a Holocaust survivor called Binem Brzoza passed away ~ 6 months ago. Binem had been in Auschwitz and in any other concentration camps. At the end of the Second World War he weighed approximately 30 kilos (about 70 pounds approximately) Binem would refer to
Auschwitz as a Factory for Death and Killing.
Despite this Binem OB"M came to Melbourne and lived a Jewish life.

(7)
Mario Spiteri,
January 30, 2005 12:00 AM

Right of Israelis to defend themselves

Following Auschwitz and other attrocities committed against European Jews in Nazi concentration camps, and the indifference shown by the "free" world at that time to the so-called 'Final Solution', one cannot but support PM Sharon's speech on the anniversary of the 60th anniversary from Shoah - that Jews have earned a historic responsibility to defend themselves and act to any threat against any Jew wherever he may be.

(6)
Anonymous,
January 30, 2005 12:00 AM

The Holocaust was the worse thing to happen in modern history, and there is no excuse for the suffering inflicted on those innocent souls. Its impact on the world should not be denied. These autrocities should have never happened. The world should never forget such horrible deeds. But there were ten million Christians killed by the Romans. Lets not forget them. Or the countless that have been murderd by Milosovich and Sadam Hussien and his regiem. Still today horrible crimes are committed daily in third world countries that go unaccounted for.
So, we should never forget the horrible acts committed to your family but we should also remember that genecide has been around since one man has decided that others are less than him and they should be eliminated by whatever means available.
Bob

(5)
D. Snarski,
January 30, 2005 12:00 AM

We must stand-up for Israel

My heart bleeds for those that died in the camps and for those that survived without their loved ones. The horrors that the Jewish people were subjected to is unspeakable. Even though I was not born during that time, I feel such deep grief that my countrymen turned away from what they knew was happening at the time. My sorrow is only lifted by the fact that the Jewish people have a homeland. I pray for all those in Israel, peace and prosperity.

(4)
Anonymous,
January 30, 2005 12:00 AM

The annhilation of Portuguese Jewry

Hello;

It is too sad that there are no such recognized, and dissiminated information concerning The Jewish Community of Portugal and its' systematic destruction, distorted historical "myths", "suppress National responsibilites for the thefts/murders/destruciton/pillage deportations", not even a comemmorative plaque indicating the place of destruction (that I know of..), the immense direct responsibility of the Church auhtorities, the "co-citizens", teh NATIONAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of responsibility for this unacknowledge responsibiility in the public domain, or international forums.

The Consequest "rehabilitation" by aiding Israel, in any way possible, and refusing a Neutral policy towards Jewish suffering, and dangers. Portugal OWES the Jewish Peoples, to redeem itself, in more than apologies, it Owes it (Israel and the Jewish Peoples), Support as Isarel stands mostly alone against the pervasive surrents, as noted by Professor Irwin Cutler (MgGill University Law School), the "Culture of Contempt", now being fostered by the "New face of Global Anti-Semitism".

To actively remember its' past, and ENSURE, a more Humane, RELEVANT future, Portugal, needs to choose to relegate such historically ill-informed (dare I hope it IS the case and not one of COVERT anti-semitism), such "PortugueseLuminaries" as Mr. SARAMAGO- who compared Israel to a "Nazi STATE"...

This specifically "Intellectually Elitistdiscourse" runs rampant throughout Europe it seems. It is MOST interesting tha MR SAramago lives inthe Canary Islands, and leaves the Portuguese Republic to tacitly perpetuate his "mindset" by REFUSING to dissociate itself from such vitriolic Invective.

As a DESCENDANT from one of the OLDEST of RENOWN, ILLUSTRIOUS FAMILY of Portugal, and Assorted JEWS of Portugal, it is Inconceivable to me, that a Mr SARAMAGO, would DARE, represent such as I, Unopposed, and without undue pressure to qualify his statements as his OWN opinion,as of being representative of the DEEPLY DEVOUT EUROPEAN CHRISTIAN community..(MR Saramago wrote "The life of Jesus").

This is itself, presumes that Portugal, is ALL Christian, and relegates the PREDOMINANCE of Jewish life to none existance inthe National comemorative events, and the Descendants of Portugues Jewry to the dustbins fo Irrelevancy.

Chalom
There are for sure, innumerable descendants of Jews of Portugal who have no true understnading fo their past, what a true tragedy.

Chalom

(3)
jay,
January 30, 2005 12:00 AM

i can't shake it out of my head.If I say we can learn from it. it is too great of a price to pay for the lesson.
My heart weeps for all those who perished...

(2)
helen schwab (Chaiah),
January 30, 2005 12:00 AM

This was one of the shortest and yet one of the best of the many articles I have read. I must add, however, what I seldom see mentioned: millions of people who survived or were born in the next generation suffered as well: missing loved ones or family they would never meet.

(1)
Mimi Power,
January 30, 2005 12:00 AM

Add disabled, Gays, Lesbians

So sad to read this article. Disabled, lesbians and gays were also killed in the holocaust. I like to see their names added to list. There is no question that the largest group however where the Jews.

I live in rural Montana where the Cholov Yisrael milk is difficult to obtain and very expensive. So I drink regular milk. What is your view on this?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Jewish law requires that there be rabbinic supervision during the milking process to ensure that the milk comes from a kosher animal. In the United States, many people rely on the Department of Agriculture's regulations and controls as sufficiently stringent to fulfill the rabbinic requirement for supervision.

Most of the major Kashrut organizations in the United States rely on this as well. You will therefore find many kosher products in America certified with a 'D' next to the kosher symbol. Such products – unless otherwise specified on the label – are not Cholov Yisrael and are assumed kosher based on the DOA's guarantee.

There are many, however, do not rely on this, and will eat only dairy products that are designated as Cholov Yisrael (literally, "Jewish milk"). This is particularly true in large Jewish communities, where Cholov Yisrael is widely available.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that under limited conditions, such as an institution which consumes a lot of milk and Cholov Yisrael is generally unavailable or especially expensive, American milk is acceptable, as the government supervision is adequate to prevent non-kosher ingredients from being added.

It should be added that the above only applies to milk itself, which is marketed as pure cow's milk. All other dairy products, such as cheeses and butter, may contain non-kosher ingredients and always require kosher certification. In addition, Rabbi Feinstein's ruling applies only in the United States, where government regulations are considered reliable. In other parts of the world, including Europe, Cholov Yisrael is a requirement.

There are additional esoteric reasons for being stringent regarding Cholov Yisrael, and because of this it is generally advisable to consume only Cholov Yisroel dairy foods.

In 1889, 800 Jews arrived in Buenos Aires, marking the birth of the modern Jewish community in Argentina. These immigrants were fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and moved to Argentina because of its open door policy of immigration. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina. Juan Peron's rise to power in 1946 was an ominous sign, as he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced mandatory Catholic religious instruction in public schools, and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis. (In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb.) Today, Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America with 250,000, though terror attacks have prompted many young people to emigrate. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 32 people. In 1994, the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people. The perpetrators have never been apprehended.

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[If a criminal has been executed by hanging] his body may not remain suspended overnight ... because it is an insult to God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Rashi explains that since man was created in the image of God, anything that disparages man is disparaging God as well.

Chilul Hashem, bringing disgrace to the Divine Name, is one of the greatest sins in the Torah. The opposite of chilul Hashem is kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine Name. While this topic has several dimensions to it, there is a living kiddush Hashem which occurs when a Jew behaves in a manner that merits the respect and admiration of other people, who thereby respect the Torah of Israel.

What is chilul Hashem? One Talmudic author stated, "It is when I buy meat from the butcher and delay paying him" (Yoma 86a). To cause someone to say that a Torah scholar is anything less than scrupulous in meeting his obligations is to cause people to lose respect for the Torah.

Suppose someone offers us a business deal of questionable legality. Is the personal gain worth the possible dishonor that we bring not only upon ourselves, but on our nation? If our personal reputation is ours to handle in whatever way we please, shouldn't we handle the reputation of our nation and the God we represent with maximum care?

Jews have given so much, even their lives, for kiddush Hashem. Can we not forego a few dollars to avoid chilul Hashem?

Today I shall...

be scrupulous in all my transactions and relationships to avoid the possibility of bringing dishonor to my God and people.

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